Trust the Chinese to come up with something like 3D printed villas. A construction company in China has perfected the process of fully functional 3D printed villas that can be easily assembled into a real home in just three hours. Camping has just been made a whole lot more luxurious you guys!

The revolutionary new technology was developed by Zhuoda Group, in Xi’an, central China. On July 17, they put up a two-storey sample villa built from pre-constructed components that were printed in a factory and later lifted into place using a crane. The instant villas cost only about 3,500 yuan (S$773) per square meter, which is far lower than the current industry standard.

Zhuoda representatives have revealed that their own 3D homes use ink made of a different base, other than cement. They haven't actually revealed the material, but they claim that it's a lot cheaper and more durable. In fact, they are so certain of the durability of the material that they insist the villas will last at least 150 years, and can even withstand high magnitude earthquakes. The material is also supposedly fireproof, waterproof and contains no formaldehyde, ammonia, radon or other harmful substances.

The company revealed that 90 percent of the villa was fabricated in a factory, a lot like how other products like shoes and phones are made. Everything, including interior decoration, wiring, plumbing, kitchen fittings and other facilities are created through 3D printing technology.

In a presentation that began at 9.30am, the villa was assembled by workers stacking each module of the house like legos using a crane. The living room was assembled first, followed by the bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom on the first floor, and then the terrace, other bedroom and utility rooms on the second all within the span of three hours.

“Thanks to our special materials, our rate of assembling houses is really fast,” said Zhuoda group vice president Tan BuYong explained. “Since 90 percent of the houses we build are completed in a factory prior to the actual on-site construction, we only need to do on-site follow-up work to complete a build. This not only avoids the pollution caused by traditional construction sites, but also dramatically reduces construction costs by thinking about houses as a traditional manufactured product.”

The company is trying to patent the technology, and it will soon be made available to consumers on a mass scale. They’re planning to introduce customization as well – the material can be modified to resemble jade, marble, wood, granite, and other decorative textures. Customers will even have the option of embedding Chinese herbs within the walls for ‘built-in aromatherapy’.

Looking at the pictures of the “open house” and how the house can actually accommodate so many visitors, one has to admit that it seems quite sturdy. Hopefully this will reduce the cost of housing and more people can afford to get a roof over their heads.